Do you like your job?

[notme]

Do you like your current job? Do you feel like it is what you are meant to do with your working hours of your life? Are you proud of what you accomplish at work? 

If you are a student, do you love what you are studying and can see yourself doing work related to your studies for a long time?

If neither money nor status were relevant, what would you like to spend your working hours - about 1/3 of your life - doing? 

 

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As for me, I can't even imagine doing one kind of work for my entire life.  I'm a generalist and specialization hasn't worked for me in the past.  It's great until I become expert, then it's intensely boring and unsatisfying.  Right now I'm loving teaching because there is something new every day and I can spend my summers doing other things.  I will stay here for a while, inshallah.  

Edited August 9 by notme

[Azadeh307]

As far as jobs go I have an ideal situation because I work for myself from home and hire my mom to be my virtual office manager. I like having a family business and I enjoy and grow from my work. To get here I worked a lot of jobs over the years such as retail, restaurant, software sales, administrative work, recruiting work, and caregiving work. I also had to live in a SRO in Chinatown of SF for a time to get the education for my job. It was a small room with a sink but shared kitchen and bathrooms with the entire floor of the building. 

However, if I could spend more time as a stay at home mom I would enjoy that except I am in a situation where I pay bills for multiple extended family members. I feel obligated to do this although I question to what degree I should put my immediate family first. 

Edited August 9 by Azadeh307
Missed one point

[notme]

1 hour ago, Azadeh307 said:

However, if I could spend more time as a stay at home mom I would enjoy that except I am in a situation where I pay bills for multiple extended family members. I feel obligated to do this although I question to what degree I should put my immediate family first. 

Duas that your financial situation becomes one that you can work a stint as a stay at home mom, and make it your career if you enjoy it.

I did that for seven years, and enjoyed it a lot. I eventually went back to outside work because I realized that the adults in my household were incapable of basic life skills, and were not willing to learn unless they had to. The pay was abysmal, the work was stressful, unappreciated, and often unrewarding, but I loved getting to spend enough time with my family.

[Diaz]

I am currently studying accounting, tbh it's fun studying it but I don't know if working as accountant will be fun or no. I still don't know what I want to become in the future. so I choose accountant because I don't want to waste time. My current job pays well and they allow me to choose the timing and days I want to work because I am a student. Their payment is good for a student. I will be grateful for what I receive, no longer want to complain. 

[notme]

6 hours ago, Diaz said:

I am currently studying accounting, tbh it's fun studying it but I don't know if working as accountant will be fun or no.

My mom was an accountant. She enjoyed it, then she got her doctorate and taught accounting at a university, and then she retired. 

[123xo]

I've worked in retail for a bit, it was ok i liked the social side of it not the labour side. 

I was able to do to my own thing, which is hair treatments and human hair wigs/extensions, i love it i'm able to do my own thing at my own pace and i'm making so much more than a regular physically demanding retail job Alhamdulilah. 

I'm also a nursing student and inshallah will be completing my RN soon i'll definitely be doing my own thing too not looking or even considering working for someone else. From my personal experience working in the beauty industry and doing your own thing is very rewarding financially, socially and most importantly mentally. So yes i love what i'm doing now and i'm super excited for my future career in Aesthetic beauty.

xo

[notme]

@123xo you do seem like the kind of person who loves to make someone's day better by bringing beauty into their lives. But I think you are also someone who finds things to enjoy in many kinds of work.  I hope you continue to love what you do and are rewarded for it beyond expectation.  

[313_Waiter]

I’m a mechanical engineer working in the process, minerals, and oil & gas consulting industries. University was an interesting experience for me - no joke, the Iron Man movies played a big role in inspiring me to pursue this field. I envisioned myself working on F1 cars, rockets, or biomechatronics right out of uni, but the reality turned out to be different. The job I landed isn’t exactly what I imagined, but it’s not too bad either. The pay is alright (standard), so I can’t complain.

Edited August 10 by 313_Waiter

[notme]

57 minutes ago, 313_Waiter said:

the Iron Man movies played a big role in inspiring me to pursue this field. I envisioned myself working on F1 cars, rockets, or biomechatronics right out of uni,

I had a friend who studied mechanical engineering, wanting to do movie pyrotechnics, but ended up very happy working in energy management.  What you think you want often turns out to be only one option.  I hope you continue to find your work rewarding.  

[JannahLM]

It's not my dream job and currently I'm overqualified, but it's not a terrible job. It's just very boring. However, it's a great group of people I work with and I don't have to deal with the public at all so those aspects alone make it mostly worth it.

[Jhon Steve]

On 8/9/2024 at 8:34 PM, Azadeh307 said:

As far as jobs go I have an ideal situation because I work for myself from home and hire my mom to be my virtual office manager. I like having a family business and I enjoy and grow from my work. To get here I worked a lot of jobs over the years such as retail, restaurant, software sales, administrative work, recruiting work, and caregiving work. I also had to live in a SRO in Chinatown of SF for a time to get the education for my job. It was a small room with a sink but shared kitchen and bathrooms with the entire floor of the building. 

However, if I could spend more time as a stay at home mom I would enjoy that except I am in a situation where I pay bills for multiple extended family members. I feel obligated to do this although I question to what degree I should put my immediate family first. 

How can one balance the desire to prioritize being a stay-at-home parent with the financial responsibilities of supporting extended family members?

[Azadeh307]

On 9/6/2024 at 4:15 AM, Jhon Steve said:

How can one balance the desire to prioritize being a stay-at-home parent with the financial responsibilities of supporting extended family members?

At the moment my husband and I are doing well from a financial standpoint and he says I can decide if I want to work or not. It is pretty much unbearable for me to have a comfortable life provided by my husband and see extended family members struggle with financial matters. Therefore, I work 20-25 hours a week from home doing Telehealth at my own business and I use my income to help them. Most of my money I give away and then taxes comes for a large chunk. It can be challenging when I have friction in relationships with the family members but I remind myself I have a good situation in those times and that is more than enough to navigate these rough patches.

[Jhon Steve]

10 hours ago, Azadeh307 said:

At the moment my husband and I are doing well from a financial standpoint and he says I can decide if I want to work or not. It is pretty much unbearable for me to have a comfortable life provided by my husband and see extended family members struggle with financial matters. Therefore, I work 20-25 hours a week from home doing Telehealth at my own business and I use my income to help them. Most of my money I give away and then taxes comes for a large chunk. It can be challenging when I have friction in relationships with the family members but I remind myself I have a good situation in those times and that is more than enough to navigate these rough patches.

Sorry but can I ask you how you manage the balance between maintaining your financial support to family members and handling any tension or friction that may arise in those relationships?

[Shian e Ali]

I've worked as a teacher, a scopist, a story writer, an academic writer, a graphic designer, language coach, call center representative, and I loved doing all of that. I'm yet to get into my field of studies. 

It's fun to be able to experience life in a way where you're not stuck with one thing and can keep being a part of something different. If life permits, I'll probably keep doing this. 

[Azadeh307]

On 9/9/2024 at 11:40 PM, Jhon Steve said:

Sorry but can I ask you how you manage the balance between maintaining your financial support to family members and handling any tension or friction that may arise in those relationships?

It is probably similar to a husband who still has to support a stay at home wife while they are in a quarrel. My approach is to find meaning in what I am doing and feel good about doing the right thing vs acting on my emotions. Also, it can count as zakat for me at times to so I look at it in terms of those benefits when the relationships are in a rough patch. 

[Azadeh307]

10 hours ago, Shian e Ali said:

I've worked as a teacher, a scopist, a story writer, an academic writer, a graphic designer, language coach, call center representative, and I loved doing all of that. I'm yet to get into my field of studies. 

It's fun to be able to experience life in a way where you're not stuck with one thing and can keep being a part of something different. If life permits, I'll probably keep doing this. 

I agree with this approach of life. I think it helps with personal development and cognitive flexibility to put oneself in different situations. 

[Jhon Steve]

7 hours ago, Azadeh307 said:

It is probably similar to a husband who still has to support a stay at home wife while they are in a quarrel. My approach is to find meaning in what I am doing and feel good about doing the right thing vs acting on my emotions. Also, it can count as zakat for me at times to so I look at it in terms of those benefits when the relationships are in a rough patch. 

How do you stay motivated to support family members financially, especially when relationships are strained? How do you remind yourself of the positive and personal benefits of doing so?

[Azadeh307]

18 hours ago, Jhon Steve said:

How do you stay motivated to support family members financially, especially when relationships are strained? How do you remind yourself of the positive and personal benefits of doing so?

I thought I answered that above. Ultimately I am self-motivated to do it, not motivated based on extrinsic factors. I am sure there is something in your life you are self-motivated to do based on your value system. 

[notme]

On 9/12/2024 at 11:05 AM, Shian e Ali said:

It's fun to be able to experience life in a way where you're not stuck with one thing and can keep being a part of something different. If life permits, I'll probably keep doing this. 

Same.  But right now I hope to stay in my current new work for at least 5 years, and it draws on many different kinds of knowledge and experience, and requires problem solving every day.  

The word for people like us is Polymath. 

[Jhon Steve]

On 9/14/2024 at 5:21 AM, Azadeh307 said:

I thought I answered that above. Ultimately I am self-motivated to do it, not motivated based on extrinsic factors. I am sure there is something in your life you are self-motivated to do based on your value system. 

Thank you @Azadeh307